Boundary Conditions, Data Assimilation, and Predictability in Coastal Ocean Models
Abstract
The long-terms goals of this research are to improve our ability to understand and predict environmental conditions in the coastal ocean. The specific objectives of this research are to determine the impact on coastal ocean circulation models of boundary conditions from data-assimilating large-scale models, and to address related issues of uncertainty and predictability in coastal ocean models. This research addresses the direct impact on coastal models of boundary conditions from GODAE models. The domain of the nested coastal model is the "coastal transition zone" (CTZ), which includes the continental shelf and slope, and the adjacent ocean interior. The CTZ extends offshore about 200 km in this region, and is characterized by energetic wind- and buoyancy-driven flow over the shelf, accompanied by complex, lower-frequency eddy, jet and filament dominated flow over the slope and in the ocean interior, which is unlikely to be properly resolved by basin scale models. Validation of the simulated coastal ocean circulation is provided by existing elements of the Oregon coastal ocean observing system. The closely related issues of uncertainty and predictability in coastal ocean models are being addressed using a variety of empirical and theoretical methods to study disturbance growth mechanisms and to develop uncertainty budgets for these models.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA526968
Entities
People
- Chris Snyder
- Gary D. Egbert
- Igor G. Shulman
- John S. Allen
- Roger M. Samelson
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory